Questions

Answers

1. What does BLIS contain?
   
   BLIS contains -
   • the statute laws of Hong Kong in English and Chinese (over 650 principal Ordinances and 1200 items of subsidiary legislation) (the "Laws");
     
   • constitutional and other relevant documents, including the constitution of the PRC, the Sino-British Joint Declaration, the Basic Law of the HKSAR and the PRC national laws that apply in the HKSAR;
     
   • the English-Chinese Glossary of Legal Terms and the Chinese-English Glossary of Legal Terms;
     
   • a Chinese Subject Index of Ordinances and an English Subject Index of Ordinances
     
     
   For details, please refer to the "What is BLIS" page.
   
   
2. Where can I find Bills?
   
   You may find Bills in the eGazette website and the website of the Legislative Council.
   
   
3. Where can I find amendment legislation?
   
   You may find amendment legislation (i.e., Ordinances and subsidiary legislation making amendments to existing legislation) in the eGazette website.
   
   Please note that though the amendments made by amendment legislation will be incorporated in the text of the existing legislation in BLIS after the amendments come into operation, amendment legislation will not be kept in BLIS.
   
   
4. Is the BLIS version of the Laws the same as the Loose-leaf edition?
   
   The Bilingual Laws Information System (BLIS) is available on the Internet free of charge and is updated within an average of two weeks after a new law or an amendment to existing laws has come into operation. It presents a more accessible and up-to-date version of the Laws when compared with the Loose-leaf edition of the Laws of Hong Kong which is updated once every 4 to 6 months.
   
   You should however be wary that BLIS does not have legal status. Please refer to the information on Legal Status under the "Yes, you may copy and link, but..." page.
   
   
5. How up-to-date are the Laws in the system?
   
   New laws or amendments to existing Laws are incorporated into the system within an average of two weeks after the new laws or amendments have come into operation.
   
   When a provision in an existing Ordinance or subsidiary legislation is amended, a pencil edit mark () will appear under the "List of Laws" in front of the heading of the affected provision on the day following the date on which the amendment comes into operation (The mark will only be shown in the Individual Section Mode). The mark will be removed once that amendment has been incorporated into the text. The consequence of this approach is that if a section does not have a pencil mark next to it, you can treat it as current, at least to the day before.
   
   For further details, please refer to the explanations on [Alert to amendments already in operation pending updating] and [Legislation not yet in operation] under the "What is BLIS" document.
   
   
6. Can I find the past versions of the Laws?
   
   As explained in the "What is BLIS" document, the earliest version of the Laws captured in BLIS is the Laws as in force on 30 June 1997. If a provision of an existing Ordinance or subsidiary legislation is amended (whether in the form of textual amendment or repeal) after 30 June 1997, the provision as amended will be stored in a separate document file as a new version bearing a different "Version Date" (which is the commencement date of the amendment). All past versions are still being kept in the BLIS database and are retrievable.
   
   To search for different versions of a particular provision, please click the [Current & Past] button under "Select Version" at the Selection Menu under the Individual Section Mode and then click the [Enter] button after entering the database. A provision with past and current versions has a triangular twistie () next to its heading.
   
   
7. I don't know how to use the system. What should I do?
   
   You may refer to the "How to use BLIS" page. The document contains useful tips on the use of the system. Any questions on the use of BLIS can also be sent to the Department of Justice by e-mail to blis@doj.gov.hk or fax at (852) 2536 8506.
   
   
8. Can I seek legal advice from you?
   
   No, we are not in a position to offer legal advice to individual members of the public or private companies. The general duty of the Department of Justice is to provide internal legal services to other government departments and bureaux. If necessary, you may consider seeking professional advice from a legal practitioner.
   
   
9. Can I download the Laws from BLIS?
   
   Please refer to the "Yes, you may copy and link, but..." page which contains the Government's policy on the availability of electronic publications of Laws of Hong Kong and related issues.
   
   
10. How do I use BLIS with Chinese characters?
    
    If your computer can support Chinese, such as by installation of Windows XP or Chinese Windows 98, or Windows 98 with plug-in software or Chinese font downloaded, you may click the or icon to read the text of laws in traditional or simplified Chinese characters respectively. However, if your computer is not Chinese enabled, you would have to click or to view the law text in traditional or simplified Chinese characters in graphic mode, but the response time will be a bit slower.
    
    
11. What software was used to develop the system?
    
    Lotus Notes 5.08 (for access using web browser) and Lotus Notes 4.66b (for access using Lotus Notes Desktop/ Client 4.6 or 4.6a).
    
    
12. If I obtain a blank screen when accessing the website, what should I do?
    
    Try the "View" -> "Refresh" function of your web browser. Also, check to ensure that the "Encoding" (in Internet Explorer) or "Character Set" (in Netscape Navigator) under "View" has been set correctly. Then try to access the website again. If it still fails, you may need to consult your computer technician or Internet service provider.
    
    
13. Where can I buy a hard copy of an Ordinance or subsidiary legislation?
    
    You may do so through the following channels:
    
    
    • the online Government Bookstore;
      
    • by phone ( 2537 1910 ) to the Publications Sales Unit of the Information Services Department (ISD);
      
    • by fax ( 2523 7195 ) or online after downloading the order form from the ISD website;
      
    • by email to puborder@isd.gov.hk.
      
      
14. What functions do the Individual Section Mode and the Whole Enactment Mode provide?
    
    With the Individual Section Mode, each section, regulation, rule, etc. of an Ordinance or subsidiary legislation and their past versions since 30 June 1997 is kept as a separate document. You may view and print them separately and make use of the available search facilities to retrieve relevant sections, regulations, rules, etc.
    
    If you want to view and print the complete text or multiple provisions of the current version of an Ordinance or subsidiary legislation in one go, you can go to the Whole Enactment Mode. Past versions of Ordinances or subsidiary legislation, and search facilities, however, are not available in this mode.
    
    For details of use, please refer to the "How to use BLIS" page.
    

15. What search functions does the Individual Section Mode provide?
    
    It provides quick display of any section of an enactment in either English or Chinese; full text search functions, e.g. searching for phrases and word combinations; searching for definitions of terms used in the Laws; and some customized search functions, e.g. searching for the Laws in force at a specified date. For details, please refer to the "How to use BLIS" document.
    
    
16. After I have effected a search in the Individual Section Mode, the system returns "Query is not understandable!". What should I do?
    
    You may have searched for some system reserved keywords which include "and", "not", "or", "contains", "near", "accrue", "exactcase", "termweight", "paragraph", "field", "sentence" and "topic". You can search for these words only by placing them inside double quotes. Another possibility is that you have disabled cookies in your browser. Try to set your browser to accept cookies when searching BLIS. If you are using Internet Explorer 6.0, check to ensure that the "Privacy" under "Internet Options" has been set to "medium high" or below.
    
    The use of cookies in your web browser is to facilitate database searching and navigation by keeping track of the database view you have selected. When you close all browsers, our cookies will be deleted at the same time. No personal information is collected from your computer when the system makes use of the cookies.
    
    
17. Some documents are missing from the search result of the Individual Section Mode, why?
    
    Some statutory forms, traffic signs and other symbols are stored as images instead of text format in the database and the words contained inside the images cannot be searched for. Also, you may need to increase the maximum results to be retrieved up to 4999 in your search, but the response time will be a bit slower. Please also check if you have selected the correct database (i.e. [Ordinance], [Sub. Leg.] or [Ord. & Sub. Leg.]).
    
    
18. I want to use Lotus Notes Desktop/ Client 4.6 or 4.6a to access the Individual Section Mode. What should I do?
    
    You need to set up your Lotus Notes Desktop/ Client 4.6 or 4.6a - not any other version for technical compatibility reason - to access the BLIS database. If you have followed all the guidelines laid down in the zip files downloaded from the "How to Use BLIS" page but still cannot access the database, you would need to consult the IT department of your company as they may have blocked your connection for security reasons or others.
    
    
19. How can I identify the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a particular document or list of documents within the Individual Section Mode?
    
    To identify the URL of a particular document in the BLIS database, you can open the list of documents containing the heading of the document first. Then move your mouse cursor over the heading of the document (without opening the document) and right-click your mouse and select "Properties" where you can find the URL of that document. Likewise, to identify the URL of a particular list of documents, you can open the list of documents first. Then move your mouse cursor over the space at the front of the first document. Right-click your mouse and select "Properties" where you can find the URL of that list of documents.

20. How can I view the complete text or selected provisions of an Ordinance or subsidiary legislation in one go?
    
    Enter the Whole Enactment Mode and click on the Ordinance or subsidiary legislation. Then select all or part of the provisions to view their text in one page (processing time varies depending on the number and size of the provisions selected). You can also make use of the print or save functions of your web browser to print or save the text for further use. For details and limitations of use, please refer to the "How to use BLIS" document.
    
    
21. After I have selected the complete text or multiple provisions of a piece of legislation to view, the system is timed out. What should I do?
    
    When your request contains too many provisions or the total file size of the provisions selected is too large, the system will take a very long time to process your request and your access may be timed out. In this case, you need to split your selection and try again. Therefore, if you wish to view the complete text of a lengthy enactment (e.g., the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32) or the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) Regulations (Cap. 60 sub. leg. G)), you need to divide and view the enactment in parts.
    
    
22. When I browse the Laws in the Whole Enactment Mode, I see a hyperlink called "Back to Individual Section Format". What is it for?
    
    Due to technical limitations, the content of provisions that contain images or are heavily formatted (e.g. tables and forms) cannot be displayed properly under the Whole Enactment Mode. In this case, you may click the "Back to Individual Section Format" hyperlink to retrieve the text from the Individual Section Mode for viewing.